AP PHOTOS: Outdoor cinemas fade to black in Greece

The Associated Press

Posted:
08/08/2014 04:37:16 AM MDT

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In this July 23, 2014 photo, people watch the movie "The Immigrant " at the Thisio outdoor summer cinema as the Ancient Acropolis is seen lit up in the background. Cine Thisio is one of the oldest open-air movie theaters in Athens, built in 1935. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — For decades Greeks have enjoyed watching the latest Hollywood blockbusters and old classics under the stars.

Open-air cinemas survived Greece's real estate boom and the financial bust that followed, providing many with an affordable night out.

From tiny Mediterranean islands to the capital, Athens, warm summer nights and some spectacular settings kept movie fans coming back. But the global switch to digital projection could soon bring the tradition to an end.

Many independent cinema operators say they cannot afford to invest tens of thousands of dollars in new technology, but none have said so far that they will have to turn off their old film projectors for good.

In this July 27, 2014 photo, moviegoers watch the 1965 French science fiction film "Alphaville", at the Zefyros vintage-movie cinema in Ano Petralona, near central Athens. Most Greeks watch movies outdoors during the summer, but businesses are under threat from the country's financial crisis and cost of switching to digital projection. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (Petros Giannakouris/AP)

Among the images of outdoor cinemas are those of Cine Thisio, Athens' oldest, which opened in 1935.

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In this July 27, 2014 photo, a moviegoer walks past an old projector on display at the entrance of the Zefyros vintage-movie cinema in Ano Petralona, near central Athens. Most Greeks watch movies outdoors during the summer, but businesses are under threat from the country's financial crisis and cost of switching to digital projection. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (Petros Giannakouris/AP)

In this July 23, 2014 photo, a man stacks popcorn boxes beside movie posters of the 1955 drama Rebel Without a Cause and the 1939 historical romance Gone with the Wind at the canteen of the Thisio outdoor summer cinema, near the ancient Acropolis in Athens. Cine Thisio is one of the oldest open-air movie theater in Athens, built in 1935. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (Petros Giannakouris/AP)

In this July 25, 2014 photo, film and tools lie on a table next to a poster of the 1978 war movie Wild Geese, starring Richard Burton, at the Amigo outdoor cinema in Halandri, north of Athens. Cinema projectionists may soon become obsolete with the global switchover from analog to digital projection. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (Petros Giannakouris/AP)